Pickling apparatus



Oct. 4, 1932. w. J. BRADPOCK ET AL PICKLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 18, 1931 mlmnmm Patented Oct. 4,1932

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM J. BRADDOCK, GFDRGE BRUHN, AND CHARLES W. HALLER, OF WHEELING,

WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNORS TO WHEELHQ'G BRONZE CASTING- COMPANY, A COR- POBA'I'ION OF WEST VIRGINIA PIOKIIING APIARATUS Application filed September 18, 1981. Serial 170.. 568,578.

The invention relates to pickling apparatus; that is, to apparatus for the pickling of rods, bars, tubes, and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide apparatus of simplified and economical structure which is adapted to move a roup of bars or the like into and out of a pickling bath,

and, during the operation, to effect agitation of such group.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the nature mentioned, in which the barsof the group are shifted rela-' tively to each other, to the end that all surfaces of the bars will be equally and uniformly sub'ected to the action of thebath, where by pic ing efliciency will be obtained in largest measure.

A still further object of the invention is to provide pickling apparatus in which a group of bars is adapted to rest upon stationarysupports within a bath of pickling fluid, and periodically to be lifted therefrom, by means of movable supports, whereby the group of bars is agitated,,raised from the pickling.

bath, and returned to a position upon the stationary supports.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. I is a plan view of our pickling apparatus; Fig. II is a view in cross section of the same, taken on the plane IIII of Fig. I; Fig. III is a view in cross section, taken on the plane III-III of Fig. I; and Fig. IV is an isometric view of a detail in structure.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, two pickling tanks 1 and 2 are arranged side by side, and

at an interval from one another. Each. tank contains a bath 3 (cf. Fig. II) of pickling fluid. Conveniently the tanks are rectangular .in form; the tanks rest upon a plurality of sleepers 4, and on the outer side of each tank a standard 5 is supported at its base on each sleeper. Between the tanks a standard 6 is supported on each s1eeper.- In this case, we show relatively short tanks and have found that two sleepers withtheir associated standards 4 and 5 are sufiicient to the end in view; however, in longer tanks, additional sleepers With their associated standards may be employed in the manner indicated in Fig. I I

of the drawings.

Within each tank there is suspended a series of flexible cradles; in this case we show two flexible cradles in each tank; conveniently, the cradles each comprise a length of chain 7, formed of acid-resisting metal. chains 7 terminate at each of their ends in a specialized device 8, which device 8, as shown in Fig. IV, comprises a head 8a, a shank 8b, and a foot 80. The foot is provided with one or more eyelets 8d, in which the end link of the associated chain is secured (cf. Fig, II). Secured to the top of each standard 5 is a fixture 9 which includes in structure an' upwardly-extending, bifurcated portion 10. Revolubly mounted in the standards 6 is a shaft 11, to which there is secured a-pair of twin- The lever members 12. The outer ends of the lever elements of each of the members 12 is provided with a bifurcated portion 13, com

parable with the portions 10 of fixtures 9. As

ently appear, these chains 7 rovide movable I supports for the material to e pickled in the tanks.

In the standards 6, and conveniently below the shaft 11, there is revolubly trunnioned a shaft 14. The left-hand end of shaft 14. (of. Fig. I) extends from between the tanks 8. sufiicient distance to permit driving connections to be made to a source of power. Con veniently, such source of power or motion comprises a motor 15, connected to the shaft 14, by means of pinion 16 and gear 17. The right-hand end of shaft 14 extends from between the tanks, and a pitman 18 is secured thereto, while to the similarly extending end of shaft 11, there is secured an arm 19. A link 20 pivotally interconnects the pitman 18 with the arm 19, so that continuous rotation of the shaft -14 is effective to oscillate the shaft 11 through a fractional art of a revolution. The oscillation of shai t 11 in one direction of rotation swings the twin-lever 5 members 12 through such angular range of movement that the loops of the chains 7 in tank 2 will be progressively lowered, while the loops of the chains 7 in tank 1 are correspondingly raised. Conversely, during the 10 oscillation of the shaft 11 and twin-levers 12 in the opposite direction, the loops of the chains within tank 1 will be progressively lowered, while the loops in tank 2 are correspondingly raised.' In Fig. III, one extreme 5 of an oscillation of the twin-levers 12 is indicated; here the loops 7 are at the top of their range of movement, while the loops in tank 1 are at the bottom of their range of movement. Continued rotation of the shaft 14 will cause the linkage 18, 19, and 20 to effect a turning of the shaft 11 and twin-lever members 12 to the opposite end of their oscillation, whereby the chains in tank 1 will provide elevated loops, while the chains in tank 2 will form lowered loops. So, continuous rotation .of shaft 14 effects an oscillatory action of the twiif-lever members 12, and an alternate raising and lowering of the loops formed by chains 7. Within each tank (1, 2) there is arranged a plurality of stationary supports 21, and for reasons which will presently be perceived, the tops of these stationary supports comprise a series of faces 21a which are arranged angularly to one another.

In the operation of our apparatus, a group G of bars, or like material to be pickled, is laced in tank 1, and a group B of material to pickled is placed within tank 2. Advantageously, the apparatus is brought to neutral position-that is, to the position indicated in Fig. II-before the groups of material G and B are placed in the tanks. When th groups G and B have been laced on the chains 7 in their respective tan 5, the motor 15 is energized, and oscillatory motion is imparted to the shaft 11 and to the twin-lever members 12. This oscillation of the memwbers 12 alternately causes the loops in chains 7 of one tank together with their burden of bars (B or G), to rise, while the loops in chains 7 of the other tank, together with their burden, are lowered. The group of bars in one tank is raised from the bath of pickling fluid 3, while the group of bars in the other tank isbeing lowered into its bath, It will be perceived that the group of bars G tends to counterbalance the group B-so, a minimum of power is required to actuate so the apparatus, and the operation of the apparatus is smooth, not jerky nor strained.

The alternate raising and lowering of the.

100 s imparts to the bars carried thereby. a a rolling motion so that their positions withrespectto each-other are changed. This agitation and rollin of thebars of each group is desirable, in t at it tends to remove any scale present upon the surface of the bars and permits the pickling fluid to come into contact with all surfaces of the bars, thus insuring uniform pickling.

It is important to note that, when the respective chains 7 lower their groups .of bars into the pickling bath, they deposit the group upon the stationary su ports 21. As has been mentioned, the tops 0 the supports 21 comprise a plurality of angularly arranged faces 21a, so that, when the group of bars drop upon these stationary supports,the members of the group are distributed over the angular faces 21a, in the manner indicated in the right-hand portion of Fig. III. Thus, additional agitation and shifting of the members of the group are obtained when the group of bars reaches the end of its downward movement into the bath of pickling fluid. Manifestly, when, during the oscillations ofthe shaft 11 and members 12, the loops in chains 7 are raised, the distributed group of bars (B) will be gathered up into the bights of the chains. It will be understood that the chains 7 constitute flexible, movable supports for the material to be pickled, and that the elements 21 comprise stationar supports which co-operate with the movab e supports. In combining such movable supports with stationary supports, in the manner described, we have found that the pickling efficiency is very much increased, and that the time required to pickle a oup of bars or tubes is remarkably lessened? We claim as our invention:

1. In pickling apparatus, the combination of a tank includingla bath of pickling fluid,

a series of flexible c ains hangin in catenary loops for supporting in said tani a group of material to be pickled. a series of stationary supports in said bath, and means for alternately lowering and raising the loops in said chains, whereby said group of material is alternately deposited upon said stationary supports and hfted therefrom.

2. In pickling apparatus, the combination of a tankincluding'a bath of pickling fluid, a series of flexible chains, means for supporting one end of each chain in fixed position movable means for supporting the other on of each chain of the series, whereby are formed in said chains catenary loops, stationary supports in said bath, said movable means being operable'to lower and raise said loops alternately for effecting alternate lowloops, whereby said material is periodically lifted from said first-mentioned supports and agitated and returned to rest thereon.

4. In combination with a tank containing a bath of pickling fluid, a set of supports for the material to be pickled, a plurality of loops, and means for alternately shifting the plurality of loops first in one direction and then in another, whereby said material is periodically lifted from said supports and agitated and returned to rest thereon.

5. In combination with a tank containing a bath of pickling fluid, stationary supports extending transversely of the tank for the support of the material to be pickled, together with movable means for gathering into a group the material resting upon said stationary supports, and means for driving said movable means whereby the so-gathered group of material is lifted from the supports, agitated, and returned to a spread position upon said su ports.

6. The method of pickling a group of bars which comprises a repetitlon of the steps of spreading said group of bars transversely of a pickling bath, gathering in the so-spread bars and raising them as a group through the bath, thereby efiecting agitation and shifting of the bars of the group, and then lowering the group and again efiecting a spreading of the group transversely of the bath.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

WILLIAM J. BRADDOCK. GEORGE BRUHN. CHARLES W. HALLER. 

